Dutchess County battle over registration rules draws state advisory

Published 11:12 pm, Tuesday, October 16, 2012

ALBANY — The state Board of Elections on Tuesday agreed to send an "advisory opinion" asking the Dutchess County Board of Elections to ease requirements for registering college students to vote.

The board's opinion is not binding, but its action is revealing. While New York is viewed as a lock for President Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election, the battle over registrations is an example of how contentious the election season has become.

Not so, said the county's Republican election commissioner, Erik Haight, who insisted he just wants to make sure voter registrations are complete.

The tussle began when voter registration cards held by students from the Culinary Institute of America, one of several campuses in the county, were rejected because they listed a post office but not a dormitory address, Haight said.

Registrations from Bard College were turned back as well, because they listed addresses but not the names of their dormitories, according to the state Civil Liberties Union, which has become involved in the issue.

The denials prompted a protest from Torres and the Democratic election commissioner, Francis Knapp. Word of the dispute reached the state board, whose members discussed how to resolve it.

Initially, Douglas Kellner, Democratic state commissioner, wanted a more forceful approach. But staffers at the state board said counties have since 2003 been allowed to ask for both mailing and physical addresses. There are also limitations on how far the state board can go in overruling one of its county counterparts.

Torres, 22, isn't simply hoping for intervention from the state board. He's been working with the NYCLU, contending that students' voting rights are being denied.

Torres also believes Republican commissioners may be trying to limit the number of Democratic student voters in order to help two freshmen incumbent GOP congressional candidates, Nan Hayworth and Chris Gibson. Dutchess County and its college population are included in parts of both districts.

Haight said that's not the case.

"I don't look at the party of the applicant. Either (the registration) is complete or incomplete," he said.